


Wind and Sun

by orphan_account



Series: Already Here - A June Egbert Series [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alcohol Abuse, Divorce Fever AU, F/F, Fascism, Mentions of Eugenics, Mentions of Suicide, Neopets - Freeform, Noncanon Timelines, Piracy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 19:20:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21513832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: June's in pain. I'm sorry about that.
Relationships: Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam, Vriska Serket/Terezi Pyrope
Series: Already Here - A June Egbert Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550638
Comments: 13
Kudos: 24
Collections: June Egbert Jam





	1. Chapter 1

Clack Clack Clack.

Fingers endlessly tap on ivory keys, sending the small hammers slamming against the parchment. Rain gently falls against the bay window behind me, in almost blissful synchronicity with my own fingers movements. I’m writing a new story tonight. This one shall be longer than all the others, and I am pulling out all the stops. All the characters. They will hate me for it, but it is what I must do.

What I must do is hurt them.

We fade in on one sad Juniper Casey Egbert, who is currently wrestling with some strange thoughts, discouraging thoughts; thoughts that make her want to give up her hopes of transitioning altogether. You see, earlier this week, June came out to all of her friends in a blaze of glory. She posed herself as unafraid, stalwart; though inside she was desperately hoping that something plot-worthy would come along to distract everyone from the party she had so kindly set up for the occasion.

You can tell by the way I glaze over that fact that nothing plot-worthy occured, and she had to come out all on her own. It went uneventfully, she tried her best not to cry as her friends all unanimously accepted her, and one by one, they all started going home, leaving her, once again, all alone. She was grateful in Roxy’s company, she stayed the longest, but everyone has someone to go home to. Roxy had Calliope and their new youngling, Dave had Karkat, and Rose…

Rose still had Kanaya.

Forgive me if I get a little misty eyed. 

In short, June was alone. She thought coming out would change things somehow; maybe Rose would realize her long-dormant feelings for June had some weight to them, and June coming out would give her a drive to act on them. Maybe Dave and Karkat would invite June to a cookout, and talk about how they all had crushes on each other in their youth, giving them a powerful catharsis. 

Or maybe June would go on an adventure with Vriska and Terezi Serket-Pyrope, becoming a formidable space pirate, with abs and an eyepatch. 

But none of those things happened, at least, not here. Sadly enough, June was entirely alone, and nobody has checked up on her in the past week. I, of course, know that they were all busy, and didn’t have time for a meaningful conversation with her, but June did not. June was, frankly, worried that her coming out was met with disbelief, or skepticism; it was her anxiety speaking, but when you are all alone on April 20th, 510, at 1 AM, you tend to listen to anything that speaks to you. 

And the voices speaking to her were loud and clear.

So she did what anybody does at 1 in the morning; she got on her computer, and went to her favorite website on earth. Neopets dot com. One of the things her and her friends made sure of when the dawn of Carapacian-Man arose was the formation of Neopets. Of course, without all the Scientologist backing. Scientology is for imbeciles, and it did not survive into Earth C. I may be mistaken, but I think it died properly somewhere around Earth B. They were one of the first groups to be culled by Jay and Silent Bob’s blood-warriors. Fun Fact.

June had a pet there. An Aisha named Casey, decked out with all the hip Neopets clout. Casey was dressed up extremely pretty, had the rare and elusive Egyptian Paintbrush on her, and one of the most expensive backgrounds you can buy. In commendation for her stature and ability to stick with her immense Log-In streak, she got a badge of her symbol on the side of her username, and because of her god status, she is something of a moderator on the Neoboards. 

Speaking of Neoboards, that is where she went first. She went on the roleplay section, where many people like to roleplay as their Neopet. This is where she first picked up writing, after her depression reared its ugly head on Earth C, and I have to say, she’s gotten quite good quite fast. She found Davepeta on here, once. It was very obvious, with how they basically hacked the website to give themself orange and green flashing text for a while.

She clicked on one of her active threads. 

JEGBERT1996: _casey wriggled through the gap in a log, and leaned as far back as she could to avoid the grarrls gaping maw, trying desperately to squeeze through and swallow her whole. she had to think quickly, otherwise she would quickly become this zombified dinos lunch! her eyes darted back and forth, before looking down at the assortment of beetles below her. if she was lucky, she would… yes! casey plucked a specific beetle from the floor (the hungrygarian munchbeetle, hehe.) and stuffed it into the creature’s nose! once the munch beetle latches on, it does its best to stay there. if the grarrl was properly proportioned, it wouldnt be able to pull it out of its nose at all, but unfortunately he has big arms unlike an actual t rex, so she only had a limited time to escape._   


DOUBLEPUNCH444: _The Grarrl took this by surprise, and howled in pain as the bug’s mandibles pinched his nostrils! He swung his head around, slamming it into the side of the log, sending it rolling! Casey would probably be extremely disoriented, but altogether fine, after the log stopped rolling. The Grarrl howled and tugged at the beetle, but it only worsened its pain! Oh, what a world :-(_

June stared at the reply for a moment. It was slightly more lackluster from the typical replies this specific person usually gave, but they were likely just having an off day. June shrugged, and clicked ‘reply.’

JEGBERT1996: _as soon as the log stopped rolling, casey shook her head, and regained her bearings. she wandered to the end of the log, and peered over, only to see one half of the log is teetering precariously over a cliff! she slipped, slowly, and was soon enough only clutching onto the edge of the dying log. to let go would mean falling down to a river, with minimal chances of surviving, but to try and climb back up, even if it worked, would mean succumbing to the beast’s hunger. she had only a moment to think…_  


Ending it on a cliffhanger, June? I’m impressed. With that, June goes back to the neoboards to see if anyone else had replied to her active threads. Unfortunately, June’s roleplay partners all seem to be MIA, with many of them not having been online for nearly a month. It is unlike them to give up a log-in streak like that. 

June sighs, and scoots back in her chair, staring off into the distance. What a sad existence this is, waking up whenever you feel the drive to, roleplaying as a neopet online, instead of your own fursona, how depressing. If I were there, I would recommend June get a proper fursona already. I have one. Her name is Lilac, and she is a cat who enjoys tea and doggy biscuits, disregarding the natural order of the cat-dog rivalry. 

Next was a meal. After an early-morning roleplay reply, she always got a nice snack to munch on while she watched troll kingdom cooking videos, and feel bad about the disparity between the two food items. 

Today, of all days, was the day she walked into a figure in her kitchen. The lights were on, and she was turned around, hunched over in her pantry, munching on some chips. June scowled, and called out.

JUNE: hey, thats my food!  
??????: :O!!!!!!!!!  


The figure quickly swerved around, and who else was it but Vriska Serket-Pyrope, clutching a bag of bugles in her grip. June took a step back, as did Vriska. There was a tense pause, broken only by Vriska reaching for another handful of the cone-shaped death traps. 

JUNE: vriska????????   
JUNE: what are YOU doing here?  
VRISKA: Okay, John, look, I can explain.  
JUNE: why are you in my pantry at 1 am on a tuesday?  
JUNE: and its june, which you’d know if you showed up to my party.  
VRISKA: THAT’S what that party was about?  
VRISKA: Well if you told me THAT, I would’ve come home from space sooner……..  
JUNE: I wanted to keep it a surpri-  
JUNE: that is not the problem here!  
JUNE: why are you in my pantry?  
JUNE: answers!  
JUNE: now!  
JUNE: when did you get back from SPACE?  
VRISKA: UUUUGH. Okay.  
VRISKA: I got 8ack, like, last night.  
VRISKA: I was really fucking hungry, 8ut I didnt have any earth C money.  
VRISKA: So I broke into your house and ate some 8ugles.  
JUNE:  
JUNE: okay!  
JUNE: i guess!  
JUNE: i guess that makes sense.  
JUNE: why would a space pirate need money?  
VRISKA: Oh I have money, but you can’t pay for McDonalds with space dou8loons.  
JUNE: space doubloons?  
VRISKA: Space Dou8loons.  
JUNE: okay, but why MY house?  
JUNE: surely you have friends that would buy you mcdonalds for a space doubloon.  
VRISKA: You’re right.  
VRISKA: 8ut..  
VRISKA: I missed you.  
VRISKA: ::::(  
JUNE: ...aw.  
JUNE: i missed you too.  
JUNE: but please dont break into my house?  
JUNE: where is terezi?  


Vriska got tense. It was either lie to one of her dearest compatriots, who she had an arguably romantic arc with in 2011, or tell the truth, and risk alienating her. What a sad situation. I would not envy anyone here. I know what it’s like.

VRISKA: She’s.. Upset with me.  
VRISKA: When we were on the shuttle, I did some stupid, risky stuff.  
VRISKA: She 8usted my chops about it.  
VRISKA: Which led to something of a fight.  


But I did it to protect her. VRISKA: But I did it to protect her.  


...

JUNE: jeez..  
JUNE: im sorry.   
JUNE: come on, you can stay at my place for the night.  
JUNE: we’ll deal with terezi tomorrow, okay?  


June felt bad phrasing it in such a way. As if she would have to ‘deal with’ any of her friends. But sometimes one is caught on one side of a two way split, and the one they love is on the other side.

As June helped Vriska to bed, she spoke. So much softer than usual. Softer than June had ever heard her before.

VRISKA: i lied.  
VRISKA: i broke in because she was so angry with me.  
VRISKA: i didnt need anything else.  
VRISKA: im a liar.  
JUNE: shhhh, shush.   
JUNE: we’ll talk in the morning.  
JUNE: get some rest.  
JUNE: terezi will forgive you.  


June goes to bed feeling unsatisfied, unhappy, and unsafe.

Why does she feel dread?

  
  
  
  


Me.

It is because of me.

Because she knows that there is something bad coming. 

Something that will rouse her from her sleep. 

And even worse. 

It's already here.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which friends are called, and exposition is given.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for mentions of suicide, relationship troubles, and Vriska.

Well well well, welcome back. I was hoping you would return after that little appetizer of story I had so deviously set out for you. Fortunately, I have quite the tale to continue; starting right where we left off… 

But a few days in the past.

We fade back in on Vriska Serket-Pyrope, on her seventh honeymoon since she and her bride married. This time, it’s soaring through the sky, clinging tightly to a rope on her space-brigantine, the SNS MINDGLARE. Of course, it used to be named something else, but there is nothing that some deep cerulean paint cannot fix. 

Currently, Terezi is manning the hull as they evade a certain bright-red colored armada, using a special device that turned light into smells and taste, allowing her keen observational capability. The massive white spork emblazoned on the sign is unmistakable- the two had, unintentionally or otherwise, found themselves illegally flying through Crockercorp space, and had to fight to get through. Which leads us back to Vriska, flying through space with her tactical air-bubble wrapped around her head.. Before slamming onto the bright red hull of the ship. 

You see, Crockercorp ships are not manned by trolls, humans, or even carapacians. They are all manned by autonomous drones, modeled after the drones that infested Earth B and Alternia. Destroying them would not mean they lose anything of real value; just a heavy cost to Crockercorp. 

Which is why she feels no remorse in strapping plastic explosives to the side, powerful enough to burst a single hole in the ill-built ship. But this is where her plan goes off-course.

Vriska’s initial plan was to fly off the rope, land on the ship, and plant the explosive. That much had worked out. However, her next course of action was to grab back onto the rope; a move that would not be possible, as the momentum of the rope was not influenced by gravity as she had wrongly anticipated, sending it far out of her grasp. Vriska could not jump back to the ship, she would go far off course, or get eradicated by one of the crocker-drones many laser cannons. She looked down at herself, taking the split second she was allowed to take inventory. She had her wits, the detonator, a nanoshield commissioned by Commander Coyote--

The shield. This specific shield was built to resist any blast, but only for a few moments. It would require expert timing, but she had come up with a plan. Terezi chimed in on her comm device.

TEREZI: THE ROP3 1S OUT OF V13W OF MY SM3LLOSCOP3   
TEREZI: 1M TURN1NG B4CK 4ROUND  
VRISKA: No need, Wifey of mine!!!!!!!!  


Vriska wrapped the shield deployer around her foot, and equipped the detonator. She placed her foot on the explosive, and crouched down. This is going to hurt. 

She clicked the detonator.

TEREZI: VR1SK4 WH4T-  


A massive cloud of smoke and fire burst forth, blowing a hole in the side of the ship. Most anyone caught within the blast radius would be vaporized, leaving nothing but metal scrap and sprockets. What was Vriska’s plan? Terezi, for a moment, thought that her dear wife had been reduced to cosmic ash. She let out a powerful, heartwrenched scream..

..But what’s this?

A projectile was sent flying through the air. A piece of scrap? A piece of explosive sent back to her ship? No, it was Vriska, who had oh-so-cleverly used the shield as a boat to send her hurtling towards the SNS Mindglare! She was crouched, and waved to Terezi with both hands,making herself as loud and visible as possible in Terezi’s smelloscope, a device that turned images into specific scents; that’s how Terezi is able to pilot the ship and ‘see’ Vriska. Soon enough, she found herself passing through the Mindglare’s gravity field, sending her down onto the deck. Her landing was less than graceful, sending her rolling down and slamming side-first into a barrel, but she was alive. She pumped her fist in the air, and proceeded to vomit blue onto the deck.

The injured Crockercorp fleet slowly began to slow. The sound of blaring alarms made their way towards the ship, and Terezi steeled herself. Even now, I don’t know how she didn’t drop everything to make sure her wife was okay. More pressing matters, I suppose. Instead, she pointed at one of her crewmen (crew-women, they only hire women,) and spouted a 

TEREZI: G3T H3R TO TH3 M3D1C4L B4Y, NOW!  


-and held steadfast to the wheel. This kind of ship movement device was inefficient, as most ships nowadays have 20-something buttons solely for acceleration speed, but Terezi knew just how to navigate with the relatively rudimentary navigational systems. She threw the wheel starboard, sending them careening towards a ship, then towards port, causing their ship to drift expertly through the airspace. Their tail rudder was outfitted with rear weaponry, and the troll manning the single turret on the rear began to pump hot lead into the bright red steel space-blimp. 

TEREZI: MOR3 POW3R TO THRUST3RS!   
MOVARE: YES MA’AM, MA’AM!  


Movare, one of their latest hires, was an expert engineer, and knew just how to get the most out of their engine. She lifted a shovel, and gave the engine a firm thwack, embedding the “MOR3 POW3R >:]” button into itself, overextending the engine’s capability while she shoveled coal-grist into the intake. The thrusters sputtered for a moment, before expanding greatly, far past the typical safety limit, and sending them zooming at nearly light speed off into the distance, leaving nothing more than two streaks of light in their wake, and a dozen confused Crocker ships.

Now that they were safe, Terezi let go of the wheel, and immediately slumped back into her chair. 

TEREZI: MOV4R3, C4N YOU H4NDL3 TH3 WH33L FOR 4 B1T  
TEREZI: MY NOS3 1S SO T1R3D OF SM3LLING R1GHT NOW  
MOVARE: Of course, of course.  


Terezi gave Movare a pat on the back, and slipped out of her captain’s seat, stumbling, wearily, towards the medical bay, located firmly below deck. 

The outside of the ship had a facade, one that made it looked like old, weary wood, much like the old pirate ships that they would play with during FLARP, but it was actually well-tempered steel, protecting a highly sci-fi looking interior. She couldn’t make it out of actual wood, it would fall apart as soon as they tried to exit the atmosphere. 

She pushed past the door to the lower deck, and stomped down the stairs, thumbs tucked inside of her overalls. She took in a deep breath, the stale, refurbished air from the oxygen bay not doing much to soothe her worries. She misses Alternian sea-air. Space-faring is fun, but there’s nothing like the smell. Everything here is so sterile, she feels so blind without things to properly smell. She runs her hands along the side of the wall, feeling the bumps of the signs, alternian braille. Finally, she feels the makeshift bumps of the paper underneath her fingers, VRISKA.

She wraps her hand around the doorknob, and enters the room.

VRISKA: 8a8e!  


Vriska lit up as Terezi entered the room, so much so that she hardly cringed when the troll-medic sewed up one of the many gashes that opened on her crude landing. 

VRISKA: They said I’m going to 8e okay.  
VRISKA: Did we wi-  
TEREZI: 4R3 YOU FUCK1NG 1NS4N3?  
VRISKA: Wh-  
VRISKA: Hey, It’s okay! I’m fine, 8a8e, just a little scuffed!   
TEREZI: YOU C4NT DO THAT K1ND OF TH1NG 4NYMOR3!  
TEREZI: TH3R3 W3R3 4 THOUS4ND TH1NGS TH4T COULD H4V3 GON3 WRONG  
TEREZI: 1 COULD H4RDLY SM3LL YOU THROUGH TH3 SMOK3  
TEREZI: FOR 4 S3COND 1 THOUGHT YOU H4D BEEN..  
VRISKA: Rezzy..  


For a moment, Terezi expected an apology. She expected an ‘I’m sorry, I’ll never do it again,’ or at least an ‘I’m sorry, but I had to do it’ kind of half-apology that most people get from Vriska when she so expertly believes that she is in the right. That’s how she is, most days, believing that she’s in the right, and never accepting the fact that she could be wrong. Her hardheaded Vriska, her love, her wife of nearly two years now- 

VRISKA: You’re 8eing crazy, 8a8e, when have i ever died to anything?  


Terezi’s hands curled into balls, and she scowled. For a moment, one would think that she was going to punch her bedridden wife. But her hands loosen back into soft slats, and then back into fists. She kept going back and forth for what felt like an eternity, her emotions welling in her throat, hoping, just once, that Vriska would see that she’s livid, maybe she’d wait, but no, she is despicable.

TEREZI: FUCK YOU  
TEREZI: FUCK YOU 4ND YOUR DUMB BUTCH ‘1LL N3V3R D13 1M TOO COOL’  
TEREZI: D1D YOU FORG3T HOW M4NY T1M3S YOU’V3 D13D?  
TEREZI: HOW M4NY OF YOU W3R3 STUCK 1N TH3 DR34M BUBBL3S FOR3V3R?  
TEREZI: 4R3 YOU R34LLY TH4T FUCK1NG STUP1D TO TH1NK YOUR3 ‘TOO COOL’ TO G3T YOURS3LF BLOWN TO B1TS?  
VRISKA: Terezi, I-  
TEREZI: C4N 1T  
TEREZI: W3R3 GO1NG B4CK TO 34RTH  
TEREZI: TH3N W3..  
TEREZI: 1….  
TEREZI: 1 DONT KNOW  
TEREZI: 1LL T3LL YOU WH3N 1 SM3LL 34RTH C.  


and then I tried to reach out, but the stitches kept me in place, moving hurt, I wanted to rip the IV out of me and run to her and tell her im sorry… 8ut I didn’t. I stayed in place, and when we got 8ack to earth, she didn’t even look at me.

JUNE: jeez…  
JUNE: im.. im sorry, vriska.  
JUNE: im sure if you apologize to her, she’ll understand?  
VRISKA: I don’t know, June.  
VRISKA: What if this is it?  
VRISKA: May8e I’m not meant to have her.  
VRISKA: May8e that’s why she 8lew up at me, 8ecause she felt trapped, and wanted an excuse to 8reak it off-  
JUNE: that’s not true at all!  
JUNE: you and terezi have a great relationship.  
JUNE: you just… do really dumb thing sometimes.  
JUNE: maybe you just need to-  


The phone rang. Sorry, June, you don’t get to play Dr. Phil today. 

June lifted her phone off the coffee table. It was Jane. Jane Crocker, CEO of Crockercorp, post-scratch version of June’s grandmother, maker of some of the best Mac n’ Cheese in the Crockerbert family- not that that is saying much, it’s still blown out of the water by Karkat’s, but even so. June and Jane have had a strained relationship as of late, with Jane wanting to control the troll reproductive population and everything, but June still felt a strange obligation to deal with her. She is family, after all.

June answered the call.

JUNE: hello?  
JANE: June!  
JANE: Sorry for the unexpected call, but..  
JANE: Have you seen Vriska?  
JANE: Her ship was parked in a crockercorp parking spot..  
JUNE: er…  


June lifted her head from her hunched position, and looked at Vriska. Vriska looked like a deer in the headlights, as if she was a grub of only a single sweep caught with one of her tiny nubs in the metaphorical cookie jar. I think that addage is correct. As correct as someone who has never had the opportunity to raise a child, let alone a grub, could be with such outdated terminology. 

JUNE: ...no, i havent seen her.  
JUNE: ill give you a call if she stops by, though!  
JANE: Consarn it.  
JANE: If you see her, I'd appreciate it.  
JANE: It’s not that big of an issue, but I want her to know I had to take it off Crockercorp land and to my manor.  
JANE: Otherwise my cronies might have impounded it.  
JUNE: i’ll pass the information along.  
JUNE: if i see her.  
JUNE: which i havent.  
JUNE: bye jane.  


June tapped the screen with thumb, ending the call, and slumped back in her chair. Even if the conversation was very short and to the point, she felt so drained already. She didn’t like to lie to family, even if she didn’t like the family very much. It left a sticky feeling on her tongue and a pit in her stomach. She took a breath.

JUNE: why dont you want jane to know where you are?  
VRISKA: 8ecause she’s a psycho, and would pro8a8ly meddle in my relationship issues?  
VRISKA: If you want to get 8ack into that.  
JUNE: not really, i think you know you just need to apologize and, like, be better.  
VRISKA: So I’m a lost cause?  
JUNE: no, youre not a lost cause, idiot!  
VRISKA: >:O  
JUNE: its not hard to say youre sorry!   
JUNE: Just watch, how about I invite Rose over and she can psychoanalyze the hell out of you while I make us breakfast?  
VRISKA: uuuuuuuugh.  
VRISKA: Didn't I just say I don't want people to meddle in my 8ullshit?  
JUNE: i like her company!  
JUNE: plus, she and kanaya have had tons of fights.  
JUNE: so she would know how to meddle properly..  
JUNE: before the divorce, i mean.  
JUNE: ...which makes me think maybe she isnt the best choice.  
JUNE: or maybe the best choice?   
JUNE: so she can tell you what not to do.  


Vriska buried her face in her hands, and sighed. 

VRISKA: do what you want. I feel like shit.   


June sighed, and lifted the phone back off the desk. She filtered through her contacts, organized into two folders of “DONT CALL” and “good friends :)”, and went firmly to the good friends folder. What, did you expect June to secretly hold some resentment for me? She loves me, at least, she does at this time in the past. But all things will catch up to me, and all will be explained. 

The phone rang once, twice, three times, and even went to voicemail before I lifted the landline phone off of the receiver, interrupting June’s sigh. From hereon out, I will refer to my past self as Rose, simply to keep narrative cohesion in line.

ROSE: June!  
ROSE: To what do I owe the pleasure?  
JUNE: vriska’s here.  
ROSE: Oh.  
JUNE: can you, like, come over and psychoanalyze her so she can be mad at something other than herself?  
ROSE: Is this about her fight with Terezi?  
JUNE: yeah.  
ROSE: I’m afraid I can’t come.  
JUNE: what? why not?  
ROSE: Terezi is in my parlor as we speak.  
ROSE: She was in quite a state when she came to my house at 12 AM.  
ROSE: She was smelling everything in sight, and I found her in my pitch-black kitchen, gnawing on a bag of Chex Mix.  
ROSE: I let her stay the night, and she’s been ranting my ear off about Vriska.  
ROSE: I don’t suppose Vriska had a similar story?  
JUNE: startlingly similar, actually.   
JUNE: thats, uh, thats cool.  
JUNE: i guess its good that we know where terezi is.  
JUNE: i guess if they break up for good, she’ll have a nice divorced friend.  
ROSE: June.  
JUNE: sorry! im just saying if they break up, she’ll be able to vibe with you?  
ROSE: Even so, It’s a little tone deaf.  
ROSE: If I weren’t so obviously over it, I would be upset with you.  
JUNE: i guess im glad youre not mad at me.  
JUNE: but its okay to not be over it.  
JUNE: it was only a year ago.  
JUNE: and the renovations you had just to get away from each other..  
ROSE: June..  
JUNE: sorry, sorry.  
JUNE: hey, i’ll call you later.  
JUNE: i should get started on breakfast.  
ROSE: Of course.  
ROSE: Terezi is getting a little antsy, as well.  
ROSE: I have a startling lack of bright-red junk-foods, so she has a critical deficiency in Vitamin Bullshit.  
JUNE: ha ha, yeah.  
JUNE: see you, rose.  
ROSE: Until next time.  


It was then that I set the phone back down onto the receiver, and turned away. For the briefest of moments, while June and Vriska enjoy a nice, quiet breakfast together, something that they so rarely get to engage in, we will turn not to me.. 

..But to Terezi Pyrope herself.

Terezi was currently gnawing on the bright red pillow in Rose’s newly refurbished parlor room. Though she didn’t think it now, she would later think of how strange it is to have a parlor room with two chairs, if there was only one patron of this half of the Lalonde-Maryam bifurcated manor. But for now she was simply focused on her teeth sinking into the red fabric of the throw-pillow. Please, Terezi, go ahead, it was only a hundred dollars for that pillow alone. It is only the finest bloodworm silk, it’s not important or anything.

Alas, this writing is set in the past tense- Terezi couldn’t hear my voice as I narrate this work, though one day she will be able to. One day my mind will see far beyond the liminal space that this reality was, and my tendrils will reach out and grasp all timelines, canon or otherwise. But for now, we settle not on me, but the Rose Lalonde of the past, and how angry Terezi was that she had to go to her instead of Kanaya.

You see, Kanaya became something of a civic leader in recent years. She would have loved nothing more than to relax and have her wife model all of her newest brilliant and esoteric designs; but every day things got worse, things got a little more bleak. Jane wanted to restrict access to the mother grub, keeping it bureaucratically selected rather than the Jade Blood’s natural affinity towards her being the deciding factor. She wanted to regulate their very reproduction, but let humans go untethered and unmitigated, she wanted cultural genocide, eugenics.

So she stood upright, and began her political conquest. She turned her home- our home- into a hotbed of political activity, with troll volunteers working day and night to gather e-signatures for petitions, calling lawmakers, calling Crocker herself to demand retribution, and the Rose of the past sheltered herself further and further in her study, making strange calls in the dead of night, speaking in code to hide from any prying ears, and lashing out when certain people tried to reach in. 

Rose was at fault for this. While they presented happily on the outside, it would turn into bickering and rants. What I was doing was far more important than the fate of Earth C’s troll population being less than ideal. But she didn’t see it that way, and I don’t blame her. It was her people.

Then Dirk Strider died. The final nail in the coffin for this offshoot reality. I was told that if Dirk Strider ever committed suicide, I should follow suit. It would mean that this was a doomed timeline, even worse, a noncanonical one, one that would only be remembered by the most strong-willed of people. But for me, back then? It only furthered my resolve, my desire to keep this timeline going strong. 

I was the first to find his body. I clutched his severed head in my hands, and I felt no tear fall down my cheek, I didn’t scream, nor did I attempt to revive him with a pseudoincestuous kiss, not that it would have done anything. I felt nothing. It left me a hollow shell of myself, and I didn’t leave the house for weeks. Many people thought it was standard grieving, but I was doing no such thing. 

I was not crying tears over my not-dead half-father, Dirk. I was forming a plan that rivaled his own. One that would destroy him, and curse him for an eternity for daring to leave me here alone, knowing I was so afraid of not existing. 

I remember the words so fondly, not because they were heartwrenching, but because I was a liar. I said I wanted a divorce. I said I didn’t love her anymore. I said I didn’t want to be with her. Every lie I spoke, it nearly shook my resolve, it made me want to double back and beg for her forgiveness, for her to consider taking me back, and that I was sorry, that this was stupid, and that I was such a fucking worm to think that a life without her was worth it.

But instead I stayed silent,

And the lovers, separated, retreated into their homes. Rose stayed amicable, speaking with whoever spoke to her, in hushed words, in ‘dont-tell-kanaya’s. I did not worry, nor was I offended.

Kanaya, though, never left her house again. I see her in the window some nights, in our shared estate, split clean down the middle, right down to the mansion. She got taller. Stronger. She wears suits now; she didn’t wear a suit at our wedding. I wish she did. She looks nice in them.

But I am over it now.

Now, onto Terezi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any questions about the nature of this story, and I am liable to answer them, please voice them in the comments.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for heavy mentions of suicide and divorce.

Terezi, in that moment, had gotten antsy. Her feet were tired of tapping, the ball of her heel getting sore from the constant back and forth, and her sandals were tossed off long ago. Her feet were rubbed raw, slight hints of her teal blood showing past her tense, rough gray skin. Her wrists were straining under the weight of her head, and her back was starting to ache from hunching over for what felt like an hour now. 

Her nose was getting restless, as well. It was getting tired of smelling the same scent of books and monochrome bookshelves. Paper was an upsetting smell. So she decided that she would not wait for Rose, she would instead explore Rose’s half of the mansion. Not that she had the option of venturing into her friend’s half; it had been firmly fenced off for some time now, to ward off any unwanted guests- and to her, that was everyone she hadn’t invited. 

Terezi slipped out of her chair, staring for a moment and reflecting on the fact that there were two chairs, but only one footrest, before slipping out of the reading room. She glanced around, smelling the air. The vague smell of lavender and wine was still in the kitchen. Rose would be better off not knowing that Terezi was snooping.

Of course, she already knew, but still.

Terezi crept down the hallway, peering into a few rooms. Bathroom, bedroom.. Study; and the door was ajar. She pushed it open just enough to slink in, and then carefully pushed it back, just enough so that it wouldn’t snap shut. Something was off. Terezi was a Seer of Mind, she could see things that many others could not, as her title implies. What concerned her is something of dire importance to her.

When Terezi looks at someone, she unconsciously reaches into other timelines, and finds out probabilities, chances of what people might say and what would stem from that. It is why she told June in advance that she wouldn’t make it to her party. It is why she called her June before the party. It’s why she distanced herself from Dirk, when she knew they could be decent friends if they tried. It was calculated, for the most part, but what was most upsetting when she laid eyes on Rose is that when she stared at her, she couldn’t see other timelines in sync with her. In this time, this moment, there were no other offshoots in which this conversation occured. 

It’s as if she is the only Rose left; the only world where Terezi and Rose could speak. Had all other offshoots fallen off by now? Was the alpha timeline finally alone in the quantum space? No, she thought, then why could she see others’ worlds? 

She needed answers, and she would get them. She carefully drew the desk drawer back, careful not to make much noise, but fast enough so the drawing noise wasn’t long enough for Rose to pick up on. She pulled out a stack of papers, and began filing through them, giving them each a quick sniff to see what they were about.

CROCKERCORP: ENLIST TODAY IN THE TROLL AR-

No, that wasn’t it.

DIVORCE ATTORNEY JUDD HARLEY

Definitely not it; the divorces happened ages ago.

hi rose!! :) im inviting you to my birthday in a few weeks! Please come, id like for both you and kanaya to be-

Jade’s having a birthday party? Who knew.

Finally, after quick sniffs and the occasional cautionary lick, she stopped. The smell of orange creamsicle invaded her nostrils, as powerful and intense as a slap to the face. She hissed, and squinted her eyes in a cringing expression. 

TEREZI: (STR1D3R)  


Terezi flicked through the next few papers; several pages of text, written in bulky, large-print font. When I first saw this, I was quite perplexed. I was used to reading small text, indecipherable symbols, and all forms of two different languages, why would he write his..

..his suicide note,

In orange Comic Sans?

But now that I look back on this, I realize just what he did this for. It was because Terezi was meant to read it. She was meant to take in the overwhelming scent, and realize just how important it was.

Rose.

If you’re reading this, one of two things has happened. Either John has decided to go back and fight Lord English and died, or I am dead. That is the binary. In no other offshoot should you read this, lest you risk altering the status of canon itself. If John has not gone back to fight him, or he has and come back alive, or if both of those did not happen and somehow I am not dead, please do not proceed further. Are we clear?

Good.

Please, move onto the next page.

Terezi moved onward, and gave the next paper a deep inhale.

If I am dead, please read this one.

Kill yourself.

Spare yourself the pain of a dying reality. Trust me when I say there is no greater pain than the feeling of your molecules being ripped apart one by one. In my many realities, I have been dissolved by acid, killed by every one of my friends, and been decapitated numerous times. I have even been spaghettified by two black holes at the verge of collapsing into one another and there is no greater pain than a timeline dissolving. If I’m dead, then that means this timeline is limited. I have gone on to merge with the Alpha Dirk, and you will never hear from me again. Your world is broken. I’m not sorry to say that, because you aren’t a Rose worth apologizing to. Your narrative relevance has been severed the moment I died. 

I am not afraid of death, because I know my consciousness will go on to sink into the Alpha Dirk, a hero chosen by Yaldabaoth, and villain beyond Lord English. I know that sounds masturbatory in nature, but I promise it is nothing if not the truth. 

I am telling you this because I know you will either go on to disappear entirely, or kill yourself now and merge with your alpha self once she comes unto her ultimate self. You are nothing in comparison to her. Her powers greatly outweigh yours, and she likely sees you reading this right now. 

She will look back, and-

The rest of the paper is ripped off. Below that paper is another one, much shorter.

If John is dead:

I am coming for you.

Both of you.

Haunting. Terezi pushed the stack of paper away, and looked down. A diagram? Lines arranged in such a way that they convey some sort of humanoid figure, though angular and robotic. It’s head is slicked back like a cracked eggshell, or a bird’s beak, or some child’s absurdist anime drawing. It’s eyes are solid orange, and it looks menacingly at the viewer, as if it resented it’s very existence. Terezi pushed it to the side, when she sniffed the very edge of it, written delicately in lavender purple. 

Maybe the basement?

Terezi thought on it for a moment. It was either a trap, or the answers to everything. She furrowed her brow, and flicked through a couple more pages, before setting the papers down in (roughly) the same order they were in, and shutting the desk.

She has to try.

Terezi slipped out of the room, and took a step towards the living room. She stayed out of sight, she didn’t want Rose to be suspicious. Though Rose was very, very suspicious. 

ROSE: Terezi, how much hot sauce do you want in your eggs?  
TEREZI: 4R3 TH3 3GGS ST1LL Y3LLOW?  
TEREZI: 4ND SL4SH OR 3GGL1K3 4T 4LL  
ROSE: Yyyyes?  
TEREZI: TH3N TH3R3 1SNT 3NOUGH  


As Rose shrugged, Terezi ducked past a couch, her feet light on the floor, and slipped past the kitchen, into the other half of the half-mansion. The first floor is just below; she could take the elevator, or the stairs. Elevator is an obvious giveaway. She opted to slip down the railing of the spiral staircase, the denim overalls on her butt allowing her to slide down easily, and landed on the carpet with a soft thud.

She dragged her feet along the carpet, taking care to listen to the shff-shff sound. She sniffed the air, and stuck her tongue out into the air. There’s a draft. She followed it, taking in the low-gray scent carrying her towards the space just under the stairs; a trap door, covered in carpet, with the seams almost imperceptible to her. She tucked her fingers under it, and yanked it up. The creaking noise it made was loud, but she did it fast to avoid the drawn-out creaking that would occur otherwise. 

Below her was a long ladder, and that smell of liquid smoke that burned her nostrils. What was that?

Terezi ducked into the crawlspace, sliding down the ladder and landing on her toes. To most people, this would render them blind. Total darkness has a tendency to do that. But Terezi did not see with her eyes. She inhaled deeply. The slate walls gave off the scent of black licorice, and the tables around her, littered with mechanical parts, chocolate and smoke. 

There was a shifting. Then, in the far corner of the room, a TV began to play. There was the image of Rose there, but she was being blocked by something. Something that was standing in front of the TV. Like a bird’s beak upturned, and hunched over, sulking.

ROSE: If you are watching this, it means you have woken up, but I have other things to attend to.  
ROSE: If you’re watching this, you know what you did.  
ROSE: Or tried to do.  
ROSE: But I will not accept that.  
ROSE: I will drag you back from obscurity.  


For a moment, Terezi believed this was addressed to her, up until that last line. Obscurity? Who, in this equation, was ‘obscure?’ Terezi wracked her brain, as Rose took a sip of wine within the recording. 

ROSE: I will drag you and this world back from the brink of annihilation.  
ROSE: Even if it means locking you up here.  
ROSE: Even if it means bringing you back from the dead.  


In an instant, the lights above flashed on, flooding Terezi’s nostrils with the smell of sugar. She took a step back, and winced, covering her face with her hands. 

TEREZI: FUCK!  


????: Language.  


Terezi’s eyes shot open, and she unclasped her hands from her face, taking in the scent of cold, steely metal, unfeeling orange eyes, and a maroon cape wrapped around the chassis.

DIRKBOT: Hello, Terezi.  
DIRKBOT: We have much to discuss.  



End file.
